Operations manager

Key information

Reference: ST0385
Date updated: 25/09/2024
Level: 5
Route: Business and administration
Regulated occupation: No

Details of the occupational standard

Occupation summary

This occupation is found in small, medium, large, and multinational organisations in private, public, and third sectors across all areas of the economy.

Operations managers perform leadership and management duties with teams and senior managers to ensure that teams fulfil their roles and meet organisational goals. They are essential to all business models that have an operational area or department with a workforce to lead, manage, and support.

The broad purpose of this occupation is to provide leadership, with both operational and project responsibilities. An operations manager is responsible for managing individuals or a team, offering direction, instructions, and guidance to achieve set goals. They are crucial for the smooth functioning of all departments within an organisation and ensure that their functions are administered and maintained in accordance with legislation and the organisation’s policies and procedures. Operations managers provide clear and inclusive leadership and direction within their area of responsibility. This typically involves setting, managing, and monitoring the achievement of core objectives aligned with the organisation’s overall strategic goals. In smaller organisations, they are also likely to contribute to the execution and achievement of these strategic objectives.

In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with colleagues from various internal departments, including operations, human resources, finance, legal, IT, sales and marketing, and project groups. Operations managers also engage with external stakeholders such as customers, clients, and suppliers. They may work in diverse environments, including offices, onsite locations, or remotely, demonstrating a high level of flexibility and adaptability to meet organisational needs.

An employee in this occupation is responsible for leading and managing their operational function. This includes being accountable for developing team members, managing projects, planning and reviewing workloads and resources, delivering operational plans, resolving problems, and building relationships both internally and externally.

An operations manager may work as part of a network or in a team setting. They operate within agreed budgets and available resources, reporting to senior leaders. They are responsible for decision-making and guiding or influencing the decisions of others. This includes applying business continuity principles, collecting and interpreting data to identify trends, analysing resources, and finding ways to improve efficiencies.

Operations managers understand how their role supports the broader organisational structure. They apply codes of practice, legislation, and regulations relevant to their organisation’s operations. This encompasses legal and ethical responsibilities, as well as equity, diversity and inclusion, health and safety, and the sustainability impacts of the organisation.

Typical job titles include:

Area manager Department manager General manager Operations manager Regional manager Specialist manager

Occupation duties

Duty	KSBs
Duty 1 Provide leadership and people management.	K2 K3 K4 K6 K10 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K18 K19 K20 K22 K24 K25 S2 S3 S4 S6 S7 S14 S16 S17 S19 S20 S21 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6
Duty 2 Keep up to date with IT and digital interventions such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and software that can be used in their sector.	K5 K6 K8 K11 K15 K21 S8 S12 S15
Duty 3 Analyse, interpret and cascade data to enable tracking, trend analysis and metric reporting to enable decision making for managing objectives and targets.	K1 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K13 K15 K16 K21 S1 S3 S4 S5 S8 S9 S10 S13 S16
Duty 4 Manage and influence activities and projects within budget and resources to deliver change and continuous improvement.	K6 K7 K9 K12 K13 K15 K17 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S8 S9 S10 S12 S16 S17 B1 B2 B3 B5 B6
Duty 5 Collaborate with and manage stakeholder relationships.	K3 K4 K6 K9 K10 K13 K14 K15 K16 K18 S1 S2 S6 S17 B1 B2 B6
Duty 6 Lead the creation and implementation of their resource plans considering future organisation needs and impact on change requirements.	K2 K3 K4 K6 K7 K8 K11 K15 K17 K18 K20 K22 K25 S1 S2 S5 S10 S13 S15 S21 B3
Duty 7 Interpret and comply with relevant legislation and regulation and the impact on their organisation.	K2 K3 K6 K18 K19 K22 K23 S1 S11 S13 S15
Duty 8 Lead and manage the team to ensure the application of equity, diversity, and inclusion principles.	K2 K3 K4 K8 K16 K18 K23 S2 S6 S7 S10 S11 S15 S17 B1 B2 B6
Duty 9 Lead the team and individual training needs and support continuous professional development.	K3 K4 K8 K20 K24 S2 S3 S4 S7 S10 S19 S20 B4 B6
Duty 10 Communicate complex information to build understanding and drive team and organisational performance.	K1 K13 K14 K25 S1 S16 S21
Duty 11 Manage activities which drive the organisation’s sustainability goals.	K2 K6 K8 K11 K12 K15 K17 K19 K22 K23 S2 S3 S8 S9 S10 S11 S13 S15 S18 B5 B6
Duty 12 Build and manage internal relationships and collaborate with colleagues to enable cross-team working.	K3 K13 K14 K15 K16 K18 S1 S6 S16 S17 B1 B2 B6
Duty 13 Lead and respond to risk management, assessing the opportunities which could affect individual and team performance, and finding solutions that meet their needs.	K6 K8 K9 K10 K12 K15 K17 K18 K19 K21 S1 S2 S3 S8 S13 S14 B1 B5 B6
Duty 14 Develop and implement their operational plan that aligns with the strategic direction of the organisation.	K1 K4 K6 K7 K11 K15 K19 K23 K25 S1 S2 S3 S5 S10 S18 S21 B5

KSBs

Knowledge

K1: Presentation skills and methods. Back to Duty

K2: Relevant regulation and legislation requirements, and their impact on their team, the individual, their role and the organisation. Back to Duty

K3: Legislation and organisational policies relating to equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and their impact on the organisation and stakeholders. Back to Duty

K4: Approaches to people management, for example recruitment, performance management, reward, and talent management and resource planning. Back to Duty

K5: IT and software tools used to support the current and future needs of the organisation, including advances in technology. Back to Duty

K6: Methods for researching, analysing, interpreting and evaluating data to inform judgements and enable decision making. Back to Duty

K7: Financial management techniques and implications of decisions for budgets. Back to Duty

K8: How to identify and manage organisational improvement opportunities. Back to Duty

K9: Project management tools and techniques. Back to Duty

K10: Methods used to identify, manage and prioritise stakeholder relationships. Back to Duty

K11: The current and future needs of the sector and the impact on their organisation. Back to Duty

K12: Problem solving and decision-making techniques. Back to Duty

K13: Influencing and negotiation models and techniques. Back to Duty

K14: Conflict resolution and mediation processes. Back to Duty

K15: Communication techniques and approaches. Back to Duty

K16: Ethics and values-based leadership theories and principles, for example employee wellbeing. Back to Duty

K17: Change management concepts and methods for implementing change within the organisation. Back to Duty

K18: Leadership and management tools and techniques. Back to Duty

K19: The sector in which the organisation operates and its impact on their role. Back to Duty

K20: The continuous development requirements and learning needs of their team. Back to Duty

K21: Business continuity principles, including risk assessment, contingency planning and disaster recovery. Back to Duty

K22: Organisational policies and procedures, for example health and safety. Back to Duty

K23: Responsible organisation policies and practices covering social, environmental, and economic factors, including sustainability. Back to Duty

K24: Coaching and mentoring techniques. Back to Duty

K25: The strategic direction of the organisation and the impact on operational plans. Back to Duty

Skills

S1: Communicate and present information to stakeholders using different types of media. Back to Duty

S2: Identify problems and provide solutions. Back to Duty

S3: Manage and set goals and accountabilities for individuals and teams. Back to Duty

S4: Analyse performance data for individuals and teams to identify areas for improvement. Back to Duty

S5: Manage and influence project activity to deliver within budget and resource requirements. Back to Duty

S6: Lead and influence the team and individuals to support an inclusive culture of equity, diversity, and the promotion of well-being. Back to Duty

S7: Motivate team members and individuals through collaborative activities, for example one-to-one coaching and team meetings, to achieve organisational goals. Back to Duty

S8: Use digital tools to analyse information and monitor performance and budgets to drive the implementation and delivery of plans and projects. Back to Duty

S9: Research, interpret and analyse information to inform the implementation of business plans or projects. Back to Duty

S10: Evaluate the impact of outcomes from organisational plans or projects to drive the decision-making process. Back to Duty

S11: Interpret and implement the practical application of regulation, legislation and organisational policies for stakeholders. Back to Duty

S12: Manage continuous improvement and change for their team and organisation. Back to Duty

S13: Analyse and prioritise organisation activities in response to the operating environment. Back to Duty

S14: Implement business continuity plans, including risk assessment, contingency planning and disaster recovery, to ensure the uninterrupted operation of critical functions. Back to Duty

S15: Identify and respond to external factors that may influence the future landscape and evaluate their impact on the organisation. Back to Duty

S16: Influence and negotiate with stakeholders to shape and agree goals and outcomes. Back to Duty

S17: Manage relationships across multiple and diverse stakeholders. Back to Duty

S18: Deliver sustainable services and solutions which allow the organisation to respond to changes in social, economic and environmental factors. Back to Duty

S19: Manage and facilitate learning and continuous professional development for their team. Back to Duty

S20: Coach and mentor individuals within their team. Back to Duty

S21: Develop and implement operational plans that align with the strategic direction of the organisation. Back to Duty

Behaviours

B1: Acts professionally, ethically and with integrity. Back to Duty

B2: Supports an inclusive culture, treating colleagues and stakeholders fairly and with respect. Back to Duty

B3: Takes accountability and ownership of their own and the team’s tasks and workload. Back to Duty

B4: Seeks learning opportunities and continuous professional development for self and the wider team. Back to Duty

B5: Works flexibly and adapts to circumstances. Back to Duty

B6: Works collaboratively with others across the organisation and stakeholders. Back to Duty

End-point assessment (EPA plan)

Rigorous robust and independent assessment undertaken by an apprentice at the end of training to test that the apprentice can perform in the occupation they have been trained in and can demonstrate the duties, and knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) set out in the occupational standard

End-point assessment organisation (EPAO)

An organisation approved to deliver end-point assessment for a particular apprenticeship standard. EPAOs must be on the register of end-point assessment organisations

Holistic or synoptic

Assessment of an apprentice’s knowledge, skills and behaviours in an integrated way i.e. assessing several KSBs at the same time

Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSB)

What is needed to competently undertake the duties required for an occupational standard

Valid

Referred to in relation to assessment methods; fit for purpose

Change request policy

Most changes to an apprenticeship are made as a result of a holistic review of it. We prioritise the need for such reviews based on a range of factors. These include:

the time since the apprenticeship was developed or last reviewed (taking account of its typical duration)
the existence of any known problems with it (e.g. lower than expected starts, low achievement rate, high withdrawal rate, any issues with the availability of training or end-point assessment provision)
whether the apprenticeship is currently subject to a dispensation
the relative significance of the apprenticeship based on how many users it has

The availability of an employer group to support a review and its potential impact on any related technical education product also inform the timing of a review.

Details of apprenticeships that are currently being revised or adjusted are available in our revisions and adjustments status report.

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